Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus for importing/exporting an address list, a method of controlling data in the communication apparatus, and a storage medium storing a program for implementing the method.
Description of the Related Art
A receive-and-transfer function known in the art transfers a facsimile document, which has been received by a communication apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral, to a file server on a network. When this function is applied to cooperate with a file server function possessed by the communication apparatus, transfer to one's own apparatus may be achieved. In addition, a transfer setting may be performed in another communication apparatus on the network by a distribution function and by an export or import function.
An external controller such as a printer server is available as an apparatus used upon being connected between a document management apparatus and a network. If such an external controller is connected to a communication apparatus, the protocol capable of being used as the file server of the communication apparatus becomes restricted to a specific protocol. For example, an SMB/CIFS protocol is a complicated protocol that employs multiple ports. When an external controller is used, therefore, the file server function can no longer be used in the communication apparatus owing to the SMB/CIFS protocol.
Protocols for implementing a file server function include the WebDAV protocol in addition to the SMB/CIFS protocol. The WebDAV protocol is an extension of the http protocol and allows transfer processing to be executed comparatively easily since only one network port can be used and because the URL of the destination to be accessed is designated, etc. This means that even if an external controller has been connected to a communication apparatus, the file server function of the communication apparatus can be used by transferring a request, which is for having the communication apparatus execute WebDAV processing, from the external controller to the communication apparatus. In this case, a special port number is appended to an address for the purpose of utilising the file server function of the communication apparatus.
When the file server function of a communication apparatus is made available over a network, therefore, there is a case where the function is published using the SMB/CIFS protocol and a case where the function is published using the WebDAV protocol. If the function is published, using the WebDAV protocol, then there are a further two cases, one in which a special port number is appended and one in which the special port number is not appended. Thus, a total of three states of availability are conceivable.
A technique relating to import of an address book is described in the specification of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-157922. According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-157922, a common address book of the LDAP protocol is shared by multiple communication terminals, the address of each communication terminal is converted to information suited to a common address of the LDAP protocol, and the information is registered in the LDAP common address book.
However, in a case where export or import of a transfer setting is performed between apparatuses in which there is a discrepancy in terms of the state in which the file server function is published, as mentioned above, the expression of the address for accessing the file server of one's own apparatus will differ. Accordingly, there is the danger that operation will not be as intended by the user.